Pro AV’s March edition, “The Green Issue”, recently shipped to readers. Dan Tynan, a freelance journalist and author, contributed a feature article called “Shades of Green”. The story includes an introduction about the benefits of manufacturers’ green efforts, with comments from Project Green AV, a grassroots organization focused on news for sustainable practices and green products.
The Technomad Noho C Series of Weatherproof Loudspeakers
Technomad was one of several manufacturers featured in the article, with an emphasis on the company’s recent switch to recycled plastic for loudspeakers; and its new RoHS-compliant manufacturing process. Products mentioned include the PowerChiton series of networkable amplifier modules; the Schedulon mp3 player and recorder; and the Noho C series of weatherproof loudspeakers.
Narrower dispersion pattern gives more options to Technomad customers for controlled output patterns in venues of all sizes
BOSTON, December 3, 2008 – Technomad Associates, LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, will begin shipping the next generation of its popular Berlin weatherproof outdoor loudspeakers this month.The two new Technomad Berlin loudspeaker models offer a narrower dispersion pattern than previous generations.These new pattern control configurations are ideal for design engineers, contractors and consultants seeking a more controlled output pattern while retaining the high-audio quality and rugged design that are benchmarks of all Technomad loudspeakers.
The new Berlin loudspeaker models offer constant directivity to maintain a consistent dispersion pattern of 60×40 or 90×40 dependent on the needs of the venue.The two options give systems designers more flexibility when working in tightly controlled acoustic environments or in outdoor installations where long distance projection is required.
The new Berlin loudspeaker models are ideal for design engineers, contractors and consultants seeking a more controlled output pattern
“Technomad customers have often requested a loudspeaker design that is ideal for targeting specific parts of a venue as opposed to blanketing a very wide area. The new Berlin configurations achieve this without sacrificing the qualities and features of the Technomad brand,” said Rodger Von Kries, vice president of Technomad. “The narrower dispersion allows our products to be used in arenas and stadiums where installers want more pattern control to target sound in each specific area. They are also ideal in smaller outdoor venues where long audio throw is desired, such as a high school football field, while ensuring that the audio is localized to the audience and not spilling outside of the venue.”
The latest generation of the Berlin loudspeaker reflects the company’s philosophy of refining its established range of loudspeakers instead of continually introducing new loudspeaker products to the market. For optimal flexibility, design engineers and contractors can plan Technomad installations featuring both the new narrower dispersion Berlin models and other Technomad loudspeakers with wider dispersion patterns.
“The ability to offer a full range of loudspeakers with various dispersion patterns is ideal for contractors and design engineers since a one-size-fits-all approach is a rare situation in larger venues,” said von Kries. “Our wide dispersion products, including the Technomad Vernal 15 and Noho C loudspeakers, give our customers the wide variety of options they need for professional installations. Every situation is unique dependent on the total coverage area and the amount of control required.”
Technomad Berlin loudspeakers are part of the company’s AS Series of IP56 weatherproof loudspeakers, offering unmatched controlled projection, fidelity and power for the most demanding fixed installations and mobile applications. Both the 60×40 and 90×40 Berlin loudspeakers come standard with passive network and bi-amp configurations, and are available in 8-Ohm and 70-volt versions.
Technomad Associates, LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, today announced it has introduced recycled plastic into its loudspeaker manufacturing process as part of the company’s developing green initiative in an effort to reduce waste.The company will continue to manufacture all loudspeaker products at its Massachusetts facility, where each loudspeaker is bench-built and tested by small teams of craftsmen.
“We want to take advantage of the opportunity presented by our manufacturing process to reduce waste,” said Rodger von Kries, vice president of Technomad.“This also benefits our customers by allowing us to minimize our manufacturing costs compared to using new plastic, a petroleum product that is subject to cost increases along with rising oil prices.”
The switch to recycled plastic reduces waste without altering the manufacturing process or lessening the rugged durability that is a hallmark of Technomad loudspeakers.The recycled plastic is processed, dyed black for color conformity, and used in the place of the new plastic formerly used for Technomad’s black loudspeaker cabinets.
Technomad is the recognized leader in weatherproof loudspeaker systems, featuring integrated, IP56-rated weatherproofing for outdoor and indoor systems that does not compromise acoustic performance. Technomad loudspeakers are available separately or as part of the company range of Turnkey PA systems featuring a signal processing rack with a powered amplifier, six-channel mixer, a dynamic microphone, cables, and additional rack space for external source and power equipment.
The company recently introduced two new non-loudspeaker products to its inventory: the Schedulon a new automatic mp3 player and recording system for themed entertainment, high-quality music playback, simulated environments, and commercial security applications; and PowerChiton, a series of compact, durable and weatherproof modules that unite a high-performance, passively-cooled amplifier with an IP56-rated, low-profile enclosure.
ABOUT TECHNOMAD
Technomad Associates, LLC, founded in 1995, designs and manufactures loudspeaker systems for the professional audio and security/military technology industries.The company invented the first reliable full-range weatherproof loudspeaker and now offers eight models ranging in power from the 60-watt Vernal 15 to the 1250-Watt OSLO subwoofer.In 2000, Technomad introduces its range of complete Turnkey PA systems that have turned previous complex integration jobs into simple, one-line orders.Please contact Technomad at 617-275-8898 or visit http://www.technomad.com for more information.
GLL testing provides detailed measurements of loudspeaker data to allow more accurate positioning and simulation of loudspeakers in various venues and environments
BOSTON, August 18, 2008 – Technomad Associates, LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, has upgraded to the GLL (Generic Loudspeaker Library) format to measure and present its loudspeaker design specifications to the pro audio industry. GLL format data gives Technomad design engineers, consultants and contractors more options in positioning and simulating loudspeakers in large sports, entertainment and other venues that require array or clustered installations. Technomad is one of several loudspeaker manufacturers that encompass the first wave of GLL supporters in the pro audio industry.
A Technomad Noho-C loudspeaker undergoes GLL testing the anechoic chamber at NWAA Labs
GLL is a new standard for measuring and storing loudspeaker performance data that is now part of the EASE software suite, which provides simulated creations of a room’s 3D acoustic model and sound system. The GLL format provides highly accurate technical detail about the loudspeaker design and driver output so consultants and design engineers can more accurately position loudspeakers in various environments compared to simulated point source formats such as SPK or CLF.
Technomad recently visited NWAA Labs, an independent, vendor-neutral laboratory that provides uniform product testing of loudspeakers. Led by Ron Sauro, Owner and Chief Scientist of NWAA Labs, Technomad’s range of IP56-rated weatherproof loudspeakers underwent GLL testing for the first time. The GLL testing system created by NWAA Labs uses a system of accurately-calibrated microphones positioned every five degrees in a four-meter arc to collect data in a highly consistent manner, with the loudspeakers immersed in an anechoic chamber to eliminate reflected acoustic artifacts. The process more accurately collects loudspeaker data than the traditional way of physically moving the position of a single microphone to record measurements at different angles and is much faster.
The tests officially quantify Technomad loudspeakers as GLL-ready, with results and measurements available for download and usage with the new EASE 4.2 software program.
NWAA Labs in Santa Clarita, Calif., is the leading site for GLL testing and certification of professional loudspeakers
“GLL testing is a critical step forward in accurate data collection for loudspeaker design engineers, particularly those specifying a venue that will include clusters of multiple loudspeakers,” said Sauro. “Engineers and consultants who download the GLL files can more accurately predict what will happen in a room or facility when multiple cabinets are used, and also predict and better understand the interaction between all the cabinets and drivers in the loudspeakers. The GLL format provides a very accurate resolution of phase that is superior to how we previously measured and presented data.”
Sauro added that manufacturers like Technomad benefit from GLL testing through physically assembling loudspeakers in a “virtual reality” or simulated environment, measuring the drivers without crossovers or digital signal processing, and making design changes that are instantly noticed. This improves the speed and accuracy of developing the loudspeaker.
“Technomad contractors have always relied on the power, durability, weatherproofing and high audio quality of our loudspeakers,” said Rodger von Kries, vice president of Technomad. “Through testing at NWAA Labs we have been able to generate GLL files that provide consultants and design engineers with the most accurate loudspeakers measurements possible. This highly accurate data provides design information that gives contractors new and exciting options to use Technomad loudspeakers in larger venues. By presenting these measurements in the GLL format, we can more accurately represent this data to the pro audio industry at large.”
ABOUT TECHNOMAD
Technomad Associates, LLC, founded in 1995, designs and manufactures loudspeaker systems for the professional audio and security/military technology industries. The company invented the first reliable full-range weatherproof loudspeaker and now offers eight models ranging in power from the 60-watt Vernal 15 to the 1250-Watt OSLO subwoofer. In 2000, Technomad introduces its range of complete Turnkey PA systems that have turned previous complex integration jobs into simple, one-line orders. Please contact Technomad at 617-275-8898 for more information.
Source: ProAV MAGAZINE
Publication date: September 1, 2008
By ProAV Staff
A former NASA engineer and scientist, Sauro now heads up NWAA Labs, a Santa Clarita, Calif.–based lab for testing loudspeakers and materials for the audio industry Among other things, the lab tests loudspeakers for conformance to the Generic Loudspeaker Library specification, which was introduced at the AES convention in New York in October 2006.
PRO AV: Tell us a little about NWAA Labs.
SAURO: NWAA Labs was founded to fulfill a long-standing, but unrealized industry requirement for independent, standardized loudspeaker and acoustic materials testing. I was able to adapt the array I designed at NASA for magnetic data acquisition for use in gathering sound data at NWAA Labs. This design allows for an exponential increase in the rate of data acquisition, reducing the time involved from many hours, to often less than 40 minutes, thus minimizing the environmental variations that hamper accurate measurement, particularly phase measurements.
PRO AV: What is the Generic Loudspeaker Library?
SAURO: The Generic Loudspeaker Library is a method of inputting, calculating, and displaying complex speaker directivity data. It’s accomplished by measuring individual drivers, in place, and then mathematically integrating these balloons with crossover transfer functions. The data is gathered and stored using impulse responses and can be geometrically combined to do what point-source information cannot do. Its first use was in the EASE 4.2 program, but has been designed as a generic data source for use by the entire industry. It provides a large source of information in a very small storage footprint.
PRO AV: What does GLL testing say about a loudspeaker and how it might perform in the real world?
SAURO: It is especially useful for the construction and simulation of line arrays and complex cluster arrangements in order to predict lobing and other acoustic results more accurately. In other words, GLLs can be used by simulation programs to accurately predict real-world performance of complex and variable configurations of loudspeaker boxes and arrays.
PRO AV: How can AV pros use GLL results and GLL files?
SAURO: Consultants can take advantage of independent testing to confirm equivalent performance between loudspeaker boxes created by different manufacturers. This is useful when specifying a system and then having many contractors bidding with “equivalent” speaker boxes. Comparing GLL measurements helps remove subject marketing claims from what should be—and now can be—an objective process. This also helps contracting personnel to meet system performance criteria.
PRO AV: How has industry adoption been so far?
SAURO: We are receiving more and more requests from consultants and contractors for GLL data and more than a dozen manufacturers have adopted the GLL format. (Technomad Associates of Boston most recently received GLL certification from NWAA Labs for its IP56-rated weatherproof loudspeakers.)
New York-The Museum of modern Art and the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, with the help of Technomad loudspeakers, presentedNew York’s Young Architects Program for the second straight summer.
The Young Architects Program series gives emerging architects, artists and designers the opportunity to build projects conceived for P.S.1’s facility in Long Island City, Queens. The year 2000 debut installation, an architectural landscape for summer relaxation, was created by the esteemed New York-based SHOP design firm.
The site featured a number of ways for revelers to experience a summer oasis within an urban backdrop. Visitors could socialize, sunbathe, wade in pools, and walk through a spray of mist while listening to live musicians and DJs pumping out progressive music through Technomad loudspeakers. Technomad’s flagship Berlin 15 loudspeaker, a high power two-way full-range cabinet, was used along with two Technomad Chicago 15 subwoofers to provide the bulk of the sound for the summer oasis installation.
Technomad was also well represented at the P.S.1 indoor art installations, including the “Volume: Bed of Sound” exhibit. The “Volume: Bed of Sound” consisted virtually exclusively of audio pieces and sound installations and is thought to be the least visual exhibit at P.S.1 to date.
Technomad’s two-way, full-range, coaxial Noho C loudspeaker was used for presentations for “Bed of Sound” by a number of noted artists, including Laurie Anderson, Ryuichi Sakomoto, Muhal Richard and Sonic Youth. The Noho was also incorporated into a historical work by Walter Murch which featured effects tracks from the feature Apocalypse Now.
The Technomad Noho C contains a coaxial 12″ low frequency driver and 1″ compression driver providing unparalleled musicality and voice intelligibility. The Berlin 15 is equipped with a 2″ high frequency compression driver and a 15″ low frequency driver. Like all of the Technomad loudspeakers, the Noho, Berlin and Chicago are fully weatherproof due to their three-layer stainless steel WeatherTech grill, military-specification rotationally molded cabinets and self-draining construction.
P.S.1 was founded in 1971 by Alanna Heiss as the Institute of Art and Urban Resources Inc. The center now operates two internationally renowned spaces for contemporary art in Long Island and Tribeca. P.S.1 is widely recognized as a defining force in the alternative space movement. P.S.1 functions as both a living and active meeting space for the general public.
